Not All Psychosocial Hazards Matter Equally: A Dimensional Analysis of Nurses’ Quality of Life Using the Job Demands-Resources Framework

Abstract

This study examines whether psychosocial hazards exert uniform or differential effects on the quality of life of nurses and midwives, drawing on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) framework. A quantitative explanatory design was employed among nurses and midwives working in an Indonesian hospital. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire measuring psychosocial hazard dimensions and quality of life based on the WHOQOL framework and analyzed using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results demonstrate that psychosocial hazards do not uniformly affect quality of life. Significant effects were found only for dimensions closely related to daily work experiences, namely the work environment and equipment, supervision, interpersonal relationships, and career-related aspects. Conversely, job characteristics, workload, work schedule, and role-related factors showed no significant direct effects. The model demonstrated strong explanatory and predictive power, highlighting psychosocial conditions as important determinants of healthcare workers’ well-being. These findings suggest that hospital management should prioritize improving work environments, strengthening supervisory support, and fostering positive workplace relationships, with targeted interventions likely to be more effective than generalized approaches. Enhancing nurses’ and midwives’ quality of life may contribute to individual well-being, sustainable healthcare systems, and improved patient care. The study extends the JD-R framework by demonstrating that psychosocial hazards have selective rather than uniform effects and by introducing a proximity-based theoretical refinement, whereby dimensions closer to daily work experiences exert stronger direct influences on well-being. This dimension-specific perspective provides a more nuanced and potentially generalizable explanation of occupational well-being in healthcare contexts, particularly in developing countries.